Greetings to all!
I have a mom at 5 mos pp with a "lactating adenoma" which has now grown to
golf ball size and is causing discomfort. She gave me permission to post.

This was diagnosed at six weeks, the surgeon took a wait and see approach at
that point but now on follow-up is recommending weaning since it has grown
significantly in the past three months and is causing discomfort.  Mom is
told that it will continue to grow as long as she continues to breastfeed
but will go away once she has weaned.  Her other option is to have it
removed but the surgeon says he hasn't seen many of these and doesn't seem
comfortable operating, especially on a lactating breast.  He also says there
is a risk that it will come back after it is removed(?!?!?!?!!? picture the
excised mass sneaking out of the path lab to return to it's breastly home)
Since she has not had any other such lumps I doubt that this is the case.
The other risk is that it continue to grow and "turn into" a cyst which may
become infected.  I'm sure there was something lost in the translation.
There is very little in Lawrence, just that they exist and are influenced by
lactation.  The archives yielded a few hits.  It is uncomfortable enough
that mom feels she needs to do something so it seems to me that removing the
mass would be preferable to weaning.

Mom really wants to breastfeed and it is going so well.  She was an
infertility patient for a long time (PCOS diagnosed in teen years) but has
had no other breastfeeding problems.  She told the surgeon that
breastfeeding is very important to her and he seemed to hear her but
couldn't give her any other options.

What do you all think?
Have you seen this completely resolve after weaning?  How large can they
get?  Ever seen one get infected?  What complications would you forsee just
letting it be?  Removing it?


Thanx for your help,

Janie Akerlund RN IBCLC
Nurse-Midwifery Birth Center
Eugene OR, USA

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